一、災難可以短時間提升情侶關係上的滿足,但也會導致長時間後分手(HC Williamson et al. 2021. Psychological Science, 32(11),1709-1719)。
二、大多數災難發生後生育率下降(見Jocelyn Finlay, 2009. 針對三次死亡率高的地震影響寫給「世界銀行」之政策研究報告),不過在氣候事件(例如颱風)後九個月卻會短期增加新生嬰兒(RW Evans et al. 2010. Journal of Population Economics, 23,1-36)。
三、在2020年新冠病毒疫情爆發後,結婚及離婚率明顯下降(Lauren Horhn-Velasco et al. 2023. Review of Economic Household, 21,757-788)。
從心理學與歷史人物的經驗來看,事實幾乎剛好相反。不同年代的作家、領袖和專家都指出,懼怕並不是在勇氣的對立面,反而是勇氣的「關鍵素材」。Mark Twain在 Pudd’nhead Wilson一書中寫道:「勇氣不是沒有懼怕,而是學懂抵抗和駕馭。」曼德拉也曾說:「I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.」(Mandela, 1994)如果你面對挑戰的時候,坐立不安,並不代表你「唔掂」,反而意味著你剛剛好站在勇氣之門前。
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假若能夠帶出一個可以實現而超越昔日光景的「重建更佳將來」(近乎「聯合國」提倡的Building Back Better)的「3B」觀念,容讓當地居民及社區領袖親自參與策劃,便很可能減少災難帶來的哀傷及民怨,又能為因災害而感覺絕望的人帶來一點希望。當然,能夠從災難事件找出人為成因而吸取教訓,又積極地改善可能觸發災難的因素並加以預防;締造一個自發性、互助性及以人為本的社區網絡,將會是重建的最佳成果。